Jen Cotton: Sketchbook Ninja

Some "Rococopunk" ideas I was playing with a few years back. I hadn't heard the term at the time, but I think it fits the aesthetic. The idea was sort of a sci-fi retelling of the story of the Three Musketeers; I had been studying the original Rococo movement in various art history classes, and thought it could be fun to bring them into a sci-fi setting. I think it could be fun to revisit this world and do some more explorations :)

Continued digging through old sketches ... I used to wander around at university looking for fun inspiration and life to absorb in my sketchbook. This one is a live sketch from a cha cha class I came across one day. I need to start setting aside some wandering time again :)

More McQuarrie play

Playing around with emulating a "Ralph McQuarrie" Star Wars/Battlestar Galactica vehicle design style.

Revised basic version of the logo for my art and concept services 👍🐢💚

I've thought for some time that George Orwell's 1984 could make a very interesting and poignant adult animated film (probably a PG-13 range to keep it accessible to teens studying the book in school). Playing here with some design ideas for the main characters, Winston and Julia, who are finding their self-sovereignty and beginning to come alive after a lifetime of oppression under political cult rule. After growing up in a religious cult then waking up and leaving it to live my own life in adulthood, this book became very meaningful to me. Orwell really understood some stuff - particularly about human nature and how social groups can come to control people. Very relevant to our time.

Laura Dern as Dr. Sattler, Jurassic Park. Needs a bit of cleanup, but I think it's fun 🙂🦕

Vanessa Hudgens Caricature - it didn't start out as her but it looks closer to her than the person I was actually drawing lol, so I'm doing a retcon to cover up my blunder. Did I say that out loud?

Guess who #2!

Gearing up to do some caricature work to make ends meet & getting back into fighting shape with the ol' chisel tip sharpie 😉

Can you guess who?

Some YouTube caricatures from tonight 🖍

I didn't want Black History Month to pass without expressing my support. To my African American friends, you and your families have been fighting for so long to achieve equality under the law and in our culture. The latest tactic to crush the fight has been the promotion of the myth that the fight is over, and we should stop trying to improve racial equality in our country. They say that to do so is somehow, perplexingly, a sinister communist power grab (which, incidentally, was the same thing their progenitors said about MLK). They say that pointing out real injustice and fighting for equality is somehow a persecution of people who look like me. But, as the maxim goes, the oppressor always feels that equality of the oppressed is the real oppression (or, to use the cringey common parlance used to escape responsibility, "reverse racism"). I just want to tell you, that while it continues to be an uphill battle, some of us see you. We love you. And most importantly, we stand with you.

Love, your ally,
Jen 🐢💚

Below: This is a sketch from some time ago, in appreciation of a film that was a historic event in black media representation. May the pace of great representation only pick up from here 👍